


a series of furtunate events

by cryystal_m00n



Series: obligatory cliche tropes [14]
Category: The Rose (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, CAT CAFE AU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Insomniac Kim Woosung | Sammy, Light Angst, M/M, Producer Kim Woosung | Sammy, Slow Burn, Soft Kim Woosung | Sammy, Soft Lee Jaehyeong | Jeff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22882567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryystal_m00n/pseuds/cryystal_m00n
Summary: a drop dead gorgeous man, nine cats and one allergic kim woosung. what can go wrong?
Relationships: Kim Woosung | Sammy/Lee Jaehyeong | Jeff, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: obligatory cliche tropes [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1080975
Comments: 11
Kudos: 54





	a series of furtunate events

**Author's Note:**

> as u saw from the title, there will be some cat puns for which i deeply apologize. i've been writing this for a while so i hope it's good bc i have a bit more planned for this universe but we'll see lmao. if you want that lmk 
> 
> but anyway, fuck that, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOY WOO I LOVE HIM SO MUCH I HOPE HE NEVER READS THIS BUT GOD YOU HANDSOME FUCKER I WANNA PUNCH YOU AND THEN GIVE YOU A COOKIE:(((

when woosung left the studio, he wasn’t even thinking about the possibility of a storm starting out of nowhere. he didn’t bring an umbrella with him, let alone a jacket, and as he rounds the corner, trying to find a place to hide from the pouring rain, the man curses his younger, naive, utterly dumb self from this morning for forgetting to check the weather forecast. 

being close to midnight, most of the stores and restaurants are closed, and woosung is close to calling it a day and crawling into a sewer to maybe spend the night with pennywise, but just as he instinctively reaches for his dead phone (he’s no longer surprised with how fast the battery dies; after all, he spends most of his day on it, trying to convince ashley that dating another man isn’t worth it), woosung catches sight of light. warm, yellowish-orange light, pouring out of a cafe and illuminating the overall darkness that’s swallowing the street. 

woosung _dashes_ across the street, his bag almost falling off his shoulder. he saves it before it can plop in a puddle, ruining his precious laptop. 

once in front of the cafe, woosung notices at last that no one really _is_ inside. sure, the lights are on, but there is no one behind the counter or even sitting at one of the numerous tables. the sign on the door says it’s closed, but woosung still pushes his luck and pulls on the door. it doesn’t even move a centimeter. 

he’s soaking wet, tired, probably catching a cold as he waits in front of a cafe for some type of angel to save him and frankly, he just wants to disappear and maybe never face the unfortunate event that is his life. 

woosung doesn’t leave though. he stays under the little bit of protection provided by the concrete balcony above him, his back turned to the source of light. wrapping his arms around his shivering body, woosung tries to warm himself up. the wind slaps him in the face, rough and cold, making his cheeks hurt with each new wave of water droplets that hit him.

his eyes keep falling shut, despite the fact that he’s stuck in the eye of a storm. pushing himself off the wall, woosung starts to walk away from his only chance of shielding himself from the rain. he’s not _that_ far away from home. if he runs, he could get to his apartment in forty minutes, more or less. 

“hey! you alright?” a voice says behind him, concern lacing the edges of their tone. “why don’t you come inside until the storm stops?” and really, woosung has been waiting to hear these exact words from someone for what feels like years. without thinking, without even considering the fact that the person may be a serial killer, woosung turns around, his shoulders slumped, laptop bag close to his chest. he stops dead in his tracks; an angel actually showed up to save him. 

“i--” he tries to say, but he just can’t find the right words. 

“well, c’mon!” the _angel_ ushers woosung inside, all warm smiles and an even warmer smell of cinnamon cookies and coffee. “i’m so sorry i didn’t notice you sooner! i was cleaning the litters in the back! i really hope you weren’t waiting for too long!” they’re taller than woosung, and they look _so_ comfortable and cuddly. 

only when they wave their hand in front of woosung does his brain seem to catch up. “l-litters you said?” and _oh,_ if this isn’t an evil irony that woosung’s literal angel and possible future significant other has _cats._

“yes! this is a cat cafe after all! you wanna meet them?”

woosung blanches, his eyes flying around the room and noticing each and every scratching post, and cat toys scattered around _and cats,_ so, so many cats. at least eight too many for his nose to _not_ be running and for his eyes to not tear up. 

sneezing, woosung nods. this may be his only chance to actually play with cats! he’s cold, his blood is probably already frozen inside him so really, what does it matter if he cuddles some kitties (and maybe an angel too) until his last breath. 

“wait! let me get you a towel at least.” _angel_ rushes down a hallway somewhere behind the counter, and when they come back, they have an armful of towels. “here! god, i really feel shitty about leaving you in the cold… you want something to drink? something to eat?” their eyes widen. “i didn’t even introduce myself! i’m jaehyeong, owner of _the great catsby_ and proud that of…” he counts on his fingers, “eight kitties!” jaehyeong smiles at him as if woosung’s presence _actually_ makes him happy. he holds his hand out for woosung to shake, and when he does so, the man’s smile falters for a moment. 

“dry yourself already! i’m pretty sure your hands are gonna fall out with just how cold they are!”

“erm...“ woosung takes the offered towels from him, wiping his face with it. “i’m woosung?”

“you don’t sound so sure about it,” jaehyeong says cheekily. “are you sure about that?” instead of answering, woosung sneezes, his wet hair falling in his eyes. “ok, ok! it’s time to make you some tea. or would you rather have hot choco?”

“anything is fine! really, you don’t even have to give me anything! i’m thankful with just staying inside!” woosung feels something bump in his leg, and when he looks down, he melts on the spot. two kittens, one black and a gray tabby are looking up at him, expectantly. he drops to his knees, cooing at the adorable animals. 

“nonsense! now go on, play with pepper and gumi and i’ll take rest of everything else, ok?”

woosung finds himself nodding along and watching jaehyeong head back behind the counter, getting everything he needs in order to make two hot drinks. the cats butt his hands again, grabbing his attention from the man’s back. woosung tries to push away the thought of jaehyeong’s ass and focus on pepper and gumi. 

he wheezes when he accidentally takes a deep breath, inhaling, probably, all the fur in the cafe. he can feel his eyes get red, but he just doesn’t give a fuck anymore. he has _two_ cats that want his attention! it’s a dream come true!

alternating between petting the two babies and drying his hair and body. his thin turtleneck clings to his body uncomfortably, but he can’t do much about it. he just rubs the weirdly soft towel (does it smell like vanilla or is his brain playing tricks on him?) all over the material, hoping that he can get it to be at least a bit less wet. 

woosung has to sniffle every five seconds, because he may not know jaehyeong for longer than ten minutes, but woosung surely doesn’t want the man to see him with a runny nose, especially not one that’s caused by jaehyeong’s own children.

said man takes a seat at the table right next to where woosung is kneeling, placing the two cups down. it smells amazing, sweet and spicy at the same time, and his impatience gets the best of him. he stands up, startling the kitties and making them meow angrily at him. he gives them a dopey smile, before sneezing again. 

jaehyeong smiles at him, pushing the mug in woosung’s direction. along with it, he pushes what looks like a hoodie as well. “uh, what you’re wearing doesn’t seem that comfortable, and i don’t want you to actually catch a cold, so please put this on! i can get you some pants too, i think i have a pair that may fit you…”

woosung snorts. “are you calling me short?” the man scratches the back of his neck, refusing to answer. “ok, ok, i get it, long boy.” woosung takes the hoodie, smiling softly at jaehyeong. “thanks, though. i appreciate it.”

changing quickly, woosung marvels at just how _big_ the hoodie is on him. he could see jaehyeong was bigger (that wasn’t something hard to see), but _god_ woosung feels like a child swimming in the yellow hoodie. he can only smell the faint fragrance of burned sugar, mixed with the spice scent that seems to follow jaehyeong. it brings him comfort, and as he buries his face in the yellow sleeve, trying to make it look _less_ creepy than it needs to be, he realizes that there is cat fur on it. _of course_ there is cat fur on the piece of clothing the owner of a cat cafe has. 

with the new abundance of fur clogging his nose, woosung is thrown into a sneezing fit; when it finally ceases, his head is dizzy and he feels his face being red and blotchy. he feels absolutely disgusting.

jaehyeong gives him a napkin, a knowing look in his eyes and a playful smile tugging at his lips. “you’re allergic to cats, aren’t you?”

reaching for the mug of hot chocolate, woosung brings it close to his face, inhaling deeply. he can sense some peppermint in it, but he doesn’t have the heart to tell jaehyeong that mint makes his skin itch even more. “‘m not,” he says, pouting into the cartoon cats covered mug. 

“it doesn’t look like the storm will stop anytime soon,” jaehyeong chooses to say instead, taking his own cup and holding it with both hands. woosung’s eyes fall on the man’s sweater paws and _oh god,_ he looks so adorable! woosung wants to reach across the table and pinch his cheeks!

“you can stay the night, if you want,” is what pulls him out of his day (night) dreaming. 

“what? stay where? in the cafe?”

jaehyeong chuckles at his visible confusion. “no, silly. i live right above the cafe and i have a couch. you can take my bed though, i wouldn’t want you to sleep on the couch now that i’ve made you stay with your immune system’s worst enemy.”

and that’s how woosung finds himself in an apartment above _the great catsby,_ wearing a pair of sweatpants that drag after him as he walks around, still trying to accommodate with the thought of sleeping in a stranger’s bed, whilst said stranger is sleeping on the couch. his hands itch to grab his laptop or notebook and write a bit more, but he doesn’t want to keep jaehyeong up more than he already did. 

but it’s nearing three in the morning, and sleep can’t seem to come for him. it’s not something unusual, but normally he’s in the comfort of his own room, where he can cuddle the giant seal matthew got him.

jaehyeong groggily stands up, glaring at woosung and making him stop in the middle of the studio apartment. “do you want some chamomile tea? asmr? whale noises in the background?”

“no, sorry,” he says softly, padding back to the bed and sitting on the edge of it, “you can go back to sleep, ok? i’m sure you have to wake up early.”

the man gets off the couch, shaking his head as he does so. he walks all the way across to the bed, plopping down on it and pulling woosung down with him. he throws a leg across woosung’s waist, his arms wrapped tightly around woosung. jaehyeong’s hot breath on the back of his neck gives him goosebumps. he squirms, trying to get comfortable (by putting way too much distance between them), but jaehyeong’s hold on him just becomes more secure, to the point where woosung can’t move without pulling the man with him. 

he doesn’t know when his eyes fall shut, but one thing he knows for sure: when morning comes, woosung can say he’s had the best sleep in years, not counting the times he passed out due to too much alcohol drank on an empty stomach. 

as he scratches gumi behind his ear on his way out, jaehyeong calling out after him to wish him a safe trip home and to promise him free chocolate chip cookies, woosung can’t help but fantasize about a time, maybe in the future, maybe in another universe, where he isn’t allergic to cats, and where he can spend time with the young cafe owner without feeling like he has a death wish. 

* * *

ashley gives him a once-over, raising an eyebrow at his disheveled look. she doesn’t push it though, just rolls her eyes and pats his shoulder as she stands up from the desk, heading outside to the kitchen to get him some coffee. truly an angel. 

matthew chuckles behind his hand, earning himself a glare from woosung. “rough night, buddy?” he asks, looking over his laptop at the producer. the choreographer snorts when he gets a middle finger from his friend. “yikes, man. were they _that_ freaky?”

“matthew, i will shave your head if you don’t shut up,” woosung threatens, but there is no real bite to it. 

“i’m just saying! you’re wearing a hoodie that’s _waaay_ too big on you, so what’s the truth, casanova? did you steal it from some unfortunate dude?” 

“i’m not having this conversation with you--” matthew’s eyes light up, and if he were a puppy woosung is sure his tail would be wagging like crazy at the prospect of woosung actually getting laid for once, “because there is nothing to talk about. i didn’t get laid,” he finishes, looking back at his laptop screen. he’s been stuck on the same beat for a while now, and having his friends in the same room as him while trying to _make something_ isn’t of much help. 

“you know, i can set you up with someone! like, c’mon dude, when’s the last time you got some? i’m pretty sure the only dates you have are with your laptop! i’m not saying you should get a boyfriend or girlfriend or anything like that, but you need to blow some steam, man!” matthew stands up from the couch, getting behind woosung at his desk. placing his hands on the producer’s shoulders, he starts to rub them, massaging the knots that have been formed there over months of crouching in front of his computer. woosung moans when matthew’s hands work wonders on his back. “see! you shouldn’t be moaning because of me, bro! i _know_ my hands are magical,” woosung hits his sides, “but you _really_ need some sex!”

“i don’t need to be set up with anyone, matt,” woosung says, turning to face the taller man. he’s met with his chest, and without thinking, he pokes one of his tiddies. “what i need though, is for ash to come back with the coffee and finish this dumb song.”

“ok, ok, i get it!” matthew holds his arms up. “you don’t need sex. but look, you’ve been working on this song for what? a month? two? even more? don’t you think you need a pause? maybe look at it from another perspective? look, man, i don’t want you to exhaust yourself _and_ your creativity before its time.” the taller throws his arms around woosung’s head, pulling him in for a rather uncomfortable hug. “i worry, woo…”

woosung lifts his arms weakly, letting his head rest on matthew’s chest, eyes closing for a brief moment. “there’s no reason to worry, bro. i’m not gonna _‘exhaust’_ myself or whatever. i’ve been doing it like this for a while now, no need to change it now.”

before matthew gets a chance to protest at woosung’s self destructive tendencies, ashley comes back, somehow carrying two cups of coffee and one of tea, jae hot on her tail, whining about how she should’ve let him help her. 

“i’ve decided that i will not take any offer of help from a man from now on, jae.”

“that and we have a bet going on that she can carry as much coffee without dropping it!” matthew provides, still not letting go of woosung even when he tries to reach for his coffee.

“i swear, i leave for three days to go and stay with bri and this is what i get when i _do_ come back.” jae falls on the couch, almost sending matthew’s laptop flying on the floor. he gets something out of his bag, and throws it in woosung’s direction. “the pills you wanted, pretty boy. don’t take too many, though.”

ashley gives him a confused look. “you need sleeping pills again, bud?”

“no, mom!” woosung avoids telling her he only got around fourteen hours of sleep this past few days, and that most of it happened in the company of a certain cat cafe owner. “i need allergy pills, and since jae is basically a living allergy,” jae’s offended _hey_ cuts him off, but he ignores it, “what better source for them, am i right?”

“what… why…” ashley begins.

“are you getting a fucking cat?” matthew demands to know, shaking woosung with a force unknown to a mere mortal. “can i name your cat?!” woosung is getting really dizzy, really fast. ashley saves him by hitting matthew behind his head. 

“not getting a cat, not naming my inexistent cat.” finally able to drink his now cold coffee, woosung takes a sip of it. “just felt like taking the pills again.”

“sounds sus.”

“really sus,” the woman agrees. they’re both looking at him, and he’s sure jae would be too, had he not been busy with his phone. 

woosung just shrugs and drinks the rest of his coffee.

* * *

it’s not during a storm when woosung finds himself in front of _the great catsby,_ but a rather sunny afternoon. he still has his laptop with him, and this time, his phone is actually charged. he can see _a lot_ of people inside, some talking, some playing with the kitties, and it’s this moment that makes woosung reconsider his decision of showing up at the cafe with the intention of finding new inspiration. 

(and maybe stare at jaehyeong while he’s at it, because he _does_ miss the man’s angelic… everything.)

he opens the door a bit too forceful, startling the cats nearby with how loud the bell above rings. woosung glances at it, surprised he didn’t notice it last time. gumi finds him faster than jaehyeong, crawling around his legs, rubbing his little head on woosung. jaehyeong simply waves at him, breaking into a giant smile, before turning back to the customer in front of him. 

woosung marches inside, gumi following him close behind. he sets his bag and jacket (he didn’t forget to bring it this time around) at one of the tables hidden best behind one of the big plants and once he deems his job of putting his stuff down very much adequate, he heads to where his angel is. he’s dressed in a sweater (again), this one beige, and loose around the neck. woosung _knows_ that this would probably reach the middle of his thighs and _god_ he wants to have it. 

finally done with the customer and passing the coffee to them, jaehyeong turns his attention to woosung, smiling from ear to ear. “what can i get for you today?” he asks, (nervously?) picking up a rag and starting to clean the already clean wood of the counter.

“a cattuccino, please. with chocolate… and some more chocolate,” woosung says, scanning through the options quickly. they all seem fun, though he can’t figure out what many of them are, given that they have mostly cat puns in the name, but he figures the thing he just ordered should be close enough to a normal cappuccino. “and a…. tabby square?” he points to the brownie, tilting his head in confusion. 

“coming right up! anything else, woosung?” 

_you, to cuddle me until i fall asleep and maybe get three hours worth of resting my eyes._

woosung shakes his head. “no, i think for now it will be all. but i think later i might get something else to keep me awake while i work.”

jaehyeong frowns, stopping from pouring the milk to look at him. “why do you need to stay awake?”

“i gotta finish a song. and i was kinda hoping that coming here would help with my creative block.”

“how about this, you go back to your table and i make you something fun and… inspiring, hopefully. sounds good to you?” jaehyeong proposes, but woosung knows there is no other option besides accepting. so, woosung does so. he makes his way back to the table, where his laptop is waiting for him, silently mocking his incapability of creating a simple song. 

he stares at the open document, where words that don’t speak to him anymore stare back at him. he feels close to snapping, deleting everything he worked so hard for, demolishing what he’d built and starting again from zero, but his finger only hovers over the delete button. he isn’t brave enough to do it. 

he’d worked _so_ hard, and though he is not happy with it, woosung isn’t sure he can do something better than what he’s drafted so far. 

a brown mug is placed next to his notebook, and just like the one jaehyeong gave him before, it’s covered in cats. but unlike the other one, which only held some simple hot choco, sprinkled with mini marshmallows and chocolate shavings, this one has a kitty made out of milk foam. its little paws are sticking out over the ceramic lip of the cup. woosung is surprised it hasn’t spilled over, staining the design. 

“it’s called the sweeter paw cattuccino… i hope you enjoy it,” jaehyeong offers him a warm smile, before going back behind the counter. 

woosung is left to wander at the masterpiece in front of him, too scared to ruin it. he’s pretty sure he spends around ten minutes just marveling at the design, and questioning the way jaehyeong managed to do it just out of something as simple and unconventional as foam. he changes his nature, and deems jaehyeong a god, not an angel.

 _a god who must have amazing dexterity and be really good with his fingers,_ a voice provides. 

the young produces shakes his head, finally picking up the cup. he takes a sip, careful of the cat. it tastes like heaven, but he’s not surprised about that anymore. he’s pretty sure everything jaehyeong touches ends up being absolutely _perfect._ the idea of asking him for help with the song crosses his mind, but woosung quickly dismisses it as a thought brought to him by his unrested brain. 

he only notices the dessert after he’s done with the cappuccino, and it’s safe to say that it’s just as amazing, if not even more, than the coffee. 

gumi finds his rightful way, propped on woosung’s lap, purring as the human’s hand scratched him behind his ear. the pills are working, not perfectly, that’s for sure, since woosung can still feel the need to sneeze whenever he takes a deep breath, but at least this time, he can pet the cat without his face going red. he counts it as a win!

somehow, inspiration strikes him. with gumi on top of him, one hand petting the black fur of his head, the other typing away on his keyboard, he writes and writes and _writes_ until his wrists are sore. when he looks up, he notices that only two more people are in the cafe. one being jaehyeong, and the other an old lady, who keeps on complimenting him on the pastries he has on display. 

jaehyeong’s cheeks are tinted pink, as he tries to push down the compliments and convince the woman that what he’s making is not something out of the ordinary. woosung has to hold back a laugh, not wanting to either wake up the cat in his arms, or bring the woman’s attention on him. he’s quite pleased with the way she keeps prasing jaehyeong. the man deserves that and so much more. 

saving his progress, woosung closes his laptop, not bothering to turn it off properly. he can already hear sungwoo scold him for ruining his expensive electronics once again. reluctantly, he wakes gumi up by gently poking his ear, then, he picks the cat up only to put him down on the floor as he stands up, stuffing his laptop in its bag. 

he’s proud of what he managed to write, and though he may hate it when he looks over it again, for now woosung is pleased with it. gumi follows him to the counter, where the old lady is _still_ praising jaehyeong. he looks just about ready to explode from having all this attention on him, so, taking pity on him, woosung interrupts them. 

“hey, can i have another coffee to go, please?”

the lady switches her attention on him. “isn’t a bit too late for coffee, young man?” she eyes woosung up and down. “you look like you haven’t slept in ages! how about you have some tea, hm? i’m sure that would be better for you!” 

woosung knows she means well, but he can’t help the eye roll he does before gathering his composure again and smiling at her. “thanks, but tea won’t really help with my problems.” 

sensing the tense situation, jaehyeong almost pushes the lady’s bag off the counter, hoping that she would get the memo and leave. “misses song, i’m sorry but it’s almost time i have to close the shop.”

“oh, no! don’t mind me, jae! i know what’s it like to be young and in love! i’ll let you spend some time with your little lover! now, do let me know when you’ll make your banana bread again, son! you know my niece loves it!” winking at jaehyeong as a farewell, the lady leaves, kissing one of the tabby cats on her way out and promising it that she will come back soon. 

that leaves woosung and jaehyeong alone, both with blazing hot cheeks. he’s known jaehyeong for a week at most, and technically only met him once, during the fortunate night, and yet somehow, the lady thought they were _lovers!_ oh, how foolish of her! there is no way woosung would ever fall for jaehyeong! he’s not stuck in a cliche slow burn fanfiction! this is _real_ life, after all. 

“s-so, your coffee, right? another cappuccino? or do you want something else?”

“what’s the strongest you can give me?” woosung asks. 

“giving the time? no shot of espresso and maybe a really tight hug to put you to sleep,” jaehyeong says, dead serious. 

“dude, i _need_ the caffeine. well, i don’t but it makes me feel better, ok? so can i please have one? not even a cappuccino, i’ll take a latte!” 

jaehyeong gives in after seeing woosung’s pleading eyes. he sighs. “i’ll give you black tea. _only_ black tea, understood?”

“ _fine…_ but you know i can make coffee at home if i really want to, right?” and _boy_ the look jaehyeong gives him just breaks his heart. “i won’t! i lied, i won’t make coffee at home, i promise!”

the man’s face breaks into a smile, one that truly reaches his eyes. woosung feels fuzzy on the insides, but he blames it on the sugar that’s still running through his veins. 

as he leaves _the great catsby,_ woosung curses himself for forgetting to get jaehyeong’s number, but when he turns to enter the cafe again, the _closed_ sign is on the door, and woosung can see jaehyeong cleaning the tables and smiling to himself. 

* * *

matthew walks inside his (locked) studio with a coffee cup decorated with paws and with _the great catsby_ plastered in the middle of it. woosung frowns at it, but doesn’t say a thing as matthew tells him everything about the new cat cafe he found and how beautiful the inside is and how one of the cats, chubs, is _literally_ his new child and how prince is a second child to him, but the cat only comes to him when he was alone, and how--

“man, i tell you, one of the baristas was _so_ cute! totally your type! tall and handsome, but like still baby if you look at them in the right light!” woosung glares at him, but it goes unnoticed. “i didn’t get their name but you know, they were wearing a hoodie similar to the one you had on that day… are you hiding something from your best bro, man?”

“i don’t know what you’re talking about. i’m allergic to cats, remember?”

“and you’re taking pills for it now… so, what’s the truth, little one?” matthew puts his arm on top of woosung’s head. 

“fuck you, bro.”

“no thanks, i have a boyfriend and you have a secret something!” 

one thing is for sure: woosung isn’t jealous of the way matthew’s eyes light up when he continues to talk about the cafe. he’s just having a bad day, and the coffee his best friend got him isn’t sweet enough. that’s all. 

jae goes to the cafe too, because of course matthew doesn’t shut up about it and it drives all of their friends insane until they have to go and see for themselves. and with jae, younghyun went as well, and since then, those two couldn’t shut up about jaehyeong either, gushing about how gorgeous and talented with his hands the man is. 

younghyun proposes to draw him, the cats, everything that makes the cafe be, and when woosung caught a glimpse of his sketchbook, now filled with cats and small drawings of jaehyeong steaming milk, or smiling at people, or even worse, _petting the kitties,_ woosung finds himself wishing he could draw too. 

at least ashley and sungwoo are still to meet the cause of woosung’s infatuation with cats and sweet pastries. he wants to keep it that way. 

* * *

his family have been in town for the last week, staying over at a hotel near woosung’s apartment so that his mother can make sure he doesn’t sleep over at the studio. he appreciates the thought, but sometimes having his mother, father and brother all in the little space he gets to call home for more than an hour gets the worst of him out. 

so, with no better idea in mind and his mother telling him she wants a quiet date with his father while they still can, woosung takes aj with him to the only cafe he really frequents nowadays. it’s a lot less crowded than usual, giving that it’s still quite early, and from the outside, woosung can see yolkie bathing in the sunlight next to the door. 

the gasp his brother lets out as they enter is enough of an answer to know he’s done the right thing bringing him here. 

“no _way!”_ he screeches, turning his head around so fast woosung is surprised he didn’t pull a muscle yet. “look at all those kitties! can i actually pet them, sammy?”

ruffling his brother’s hair, woosung smiles down at him. “go ahead, kiddo. i’ll go order us something fun to drink, ok? you make sure you don’t scare the kitties with your enthusiasm.”

aj’s pout is short lived, however, when yolkie _and_ eggy both head his way, wrapping themselves around his legs and begging for the child’s attention. woosung chuckles, eyes filling with fondness as he keeps a close look on the younger brother. 

someone behind him coughs, startling him. he spins around, only to find none other than-- not jaehyeong… the person --jooyoung, as the tag with her name provides-- looks at him unimpressed; woosung would say she seems bored out of her mind. “what would you like today?” the barista asks and wow, woosung didn’t expect her voice to be so deep.

“erm… where is jaehyeong?”

“he has the day free today.” she quirks an eyebrow, glancing somewhere behind woosung. “your order?”

“oh, right! a cappuccino with mint and a white hot chocolate with extra hazelnut syrup please. and any pastry or dessert you recommend us.” it’s no fun to play along with the dumb cat puns if jaehyeong isn’t there to smile when he sighs and rolls his eyes at their corniness, and woosung doubts this new barista would appreciate the thought anyway. 

“sure, coming right up.” she says, getting everything ready. she knows what she’s doing, that much is obvious to woosung, from the way she delicately handels the cups, to the way she brushes her silver hair out of her face whenever it covers her eyes. there is almost a spark in her eyes as she makes the same kitty jaehyeong presented him on other occasions. 

“how do you know jae? and how come that you may be a regular and yet we never crossed paths?” jooyoung asks, placing one of the cups down as she sets to work on the other. 

“well, i usually come here late at night… sometimes before closing… jaehyeong never mentioned anything about another barista working here. i mean, i figured he’s not working alone, but how come _you_ never got brought up in our conversations?”

jooyoung snorts. “oh, as if he would talk about little old me while speaking with a pretty boy! jae is smarter than this! he may seem baby and whatnot, but he’s actually… what does he call it now…” she takes her time remembering while pouring the hot chocolate in the mug. “right! edgy e-boy!”

“sammy, what’s an e-boy?” aj questions, appearing next to him with eggy in his arms. 

“a… a boy who is, erm… tough and can protect those he loves!” jooyoung gives him an amused look, but doesn’t comment on his overall wrong description. 

“so, are you an e-boy, sammy?”

“well…”

“here are your drinks, along with some pistachio mousse!” jooyoung saves him. she winks when woosung silently thanks her for butting in. 

“now come on, aj. we can drink them near the scratching posts and you can meet--” woosung gets interrupted when a loud meow rings in his ear. somehow, gumi climbed on top of the suspended beds, right next to woosung. “gumi! here he is! the prettiest boy in the _whoooole_ cafe, aj!” gumi seems to be happy with the compliment, rubbing his head on woosung’s neck and asking for his attention. the man gives in, scratching him absentmindedly. 

“should i let jaehyeong know you’re here… sammy?” jooyoung says, a smirk on her lips. 

“nah, he has a free day and it’s not like i came here for him anyway… aj just happens to like kitties.” he puts his card close to the pos, taking some more money out of his wallet and dropping it in the tip jar. “thanks for everything, jooyoung. maybe we’ll see eachother again.”

“oh, i’m sure we will, darling.” the woman winks at him, before reaching over the counter to boop aj’s nose. “enjoy your drinks!”

“sammy, is she your girlfriend?” aj whispers to him when they reach the table next to most of the cats.

“no, aj.”

“then is that jaehyeong person your significant other?”

woosung blushes slightly. “no, aj. i’m single, ok?”

his brother pouts, taking his drink closer to him. “okay… does that mean you’ll adopt gumi then? or even better! can i _adopt_ yolkie please, please, please? maybe even eggy! can you talk to mom and ask her if i can?”

the older brother sticks a teaspoon full of mousse in aj’s mouth to shut him up.

* * *

he loses his faith in sungwoo and ashley when he sees them coming to the meeting regarding the new album their idol, park sungjin, is to drop, holding cups from _the_ cafe he refuses to name when not in it. just the name makes him think of jaehyeong and he’s trying really, _really_ hard not to imagine the younger smiling. 

ashley has a faint dusting of pink across her cheeks, to which woosung’s eyebrows crease in confusion. 

“what made you blush?” he mutters when she sits next to him. 

“nothing!” her response is _far_ too loud for someone who has nothing to hide, but woosung lets it slide. he’ll get it out of her sooner or later. 

sungwoo doesn’t look as affected, so it clearly can’t be because somehow, _god knows how,_ ashley and the man were hooking up. that leaves him with one option only: ashley has a crush on a new man that will leave her broken hearted, because men ain’t shit. 

**ok, tell me what’s up with ya, babeh girl**

_ashley-poo_

**i told you, it’s nothing! now pay attention to what sungjin is saying!! you know he gets pissy when you can’t help him arrange the songs properly.**

**is it a boy?**

_ashley-poo_

**woo, do you want to die?**

**don’t. answer that.**

woosung shoots her a cheeky grin. the blush on her face has only deepened, so that’s enough of a dead giveaway. choi ashley, his best friend, is ready to have a new significant other and he will be damned if he doesn’t help her go through this awful decision. 

* * *

ashley now has quite the collection of cat cups paper cups, all decorated with little hearts next to her name. _that_ makes woosung worried. he doesn’t want to sound like an asshole, considering that he’s not with jaehyeong (he doesn’t have feelings for the man, _obviously,_ so there isn’t even a possibility of them dating), but he’s starting to get annoyed with her new display. 

when he whines to matt about it, the man has the audacity to _laugh_ at him! like he didn’t just confess that he hopes ashley doesn’t actually have a thing going with jaehyeong! woosung is flabbergasted!

“bro! bro, this is _gold!”_ matthew wipes a few tears from his eyes, holding his stomach as another laughter fit overtakes him. “you think-- you actually think she! she likes jaehyeong! bro, you’re so blinded by heteronormativity and jealousy,” he whispers the second part, “that you forgot she swings both ways. the same way _you_ do!”

“what?” woosung stops chopping the vegetables, and turns to his best friend, sharp knife in his now loosened grip. “what do you mean?”

“you should ask her.” matthew grabs the knife and pushes woosung away from the cutting board. “it’s not my place to tell.”

and true to his words, when woosung does find the time to bring up his confusion to ashley, he gets hit with the realization that it’s not jaehyeong ashley has been fond of lately, but _jooyoung._ he is an idiot! a complete and utter moron! woosung can’t believe he even _thought_ of ashley liking jaehyeong! he’s not her type at all! if anything, jaehyeong is his--

_oh._

it came to bite him in the ass, didn’t it?

* * *

over the course of his job at _j &star company _, his studio did become more like a second home to woosung, sometimes even a first home. it’s just much more convenient to stay locked inside, with the screen light coming from his laptop burning his eyes dry and chunky headphones cancelling out the sounds around him. the cafeteria is close to where his studio is located on the second floor, the vending machine down the hall has almost decent coffee and fairly cheap energy drinks, so really, this is a dream come true for woosung. 

but sometimes, the people in the company (matthew, sungwoo and ashley) straight up ban him from even entering his safe place. which is how he finds himself stuck in his apartment, eating instant noodles whenever he remembers to, drinking a few sips of coffee every few hours and refusing to shower until he finishes whatever the company throws at him. 

this time, it’s five new songs, all for a debuting idol. woosung has to make a draft, send it to the idol --a kid named dowoon, who is still unsure of his voice, but woosung is sure he will grow into knowing how to use it to conquer the world-- and wait for dowoon to come by and finish it together. the lyrics in front of him don’t give him the inspiration either; they’re too personal to dowoon, they don’t speak to woosung at all. all of them are, really. he doesn’t need to learn how to love, he doesn’t question why he’s alone, he doesn’t want to _hunt_ the person he desires. 

he’s close to calling it quits and asking younghyun and jae to come over to help him when his phone rings somewhere under his many pillows. doja cat’s voice dies down while woosung takes his time finding the device, only to start again the exact moment he finally has it in his hand. 

the number is unknown, but in his sleep deprived state, woosung accepts the call anyway. 

_“can you open the door, hyung? i’ve been knocking for around ten minutes now and the food is getting cold._

before even processing the words to form an answer for them, the person hung up, leaving woosung confused and finally able to hear the insistent knocking on his door. rushing to it, woosung pulls it open without much thought. 

jaehyeong quirks an eyebrow, pushing himself off the wall and smiling down at woosung. “nice bed hair, woosung. i take it you were asleep?”

woosung pats it down quickly, a blush spreading across his face. “to what do i owe the pleasure?”

“brought you food,” jaehyeong says nonchalantly, holding up two bags full of groceries. “well, food i’m supposed to cook for you, but nevertheless, food. and i’ve been instructed not to leave until you eat at least two bowls full of whatever i’ll make you!”

“by who-- _ashley,”_ he whines, hiding his face behind his hands. “look, i’m really sorry she made you do this, but you can leave. i don’t need a babysitter to make sure i eat.”

“oh, yeah? what have you been eating then? cup noodles? air? chocolate?” woosung looks at his feet, refusing to answer him. “that’s what i thought. now come on, move. i’m making you food and staying over.” jaehyeong pushes past woosung, walking inside the apartment. “now save your work and turn off your laptop.”

there is no room for argument; woosung does as the younger says, coming to the kitchen after placing his laptop on the desk carefully. jaehyeong is already chopping stuff, an apron snug around his body. the stove is on, at least two pans heating up slowly. woosung can’t remember the last time he even saw this much movement in his kitchen without the end result being either coffee, ramen, or a fried egg over rice. 

this is new, this is… exciting… it’s scary. how did he let himself get this close to jaehyeong to the point where his best friend sends him over to make sure woosung doesn’t die? sure, ever since the revelation that ashley wants to bust down jooyoung’s ring finger (her words, not his) they have been going over to the cafe together, spending their time watching the respective cause for their hearts going pitter patter, but woosung never actually said that he likes jaehyeong! which means that he is obvious about his crush and oh god, what if jaehyeong noticed and now he’s taking pity on him and doing this just to not have his death on his conscience?!

“can you get me a spatula, please?” jaehyeong’s gentle voice pulls him out of the spiralling descend he was taking. almost on autopilot, he passes the object to the younger, their fingers brushing for just a second before jaehyeong has to go back to stirring the meat in the pan before it can burn. 

woosung looks at his fingers, feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush on her way cooler, way too popular senior. his head is buzzing with thoughts, ranging from _i should tell him i like him_ to _maybe if i play dumb he won’t see i have a fat crush on him and he won’t feel uncomfortable around me since he clearly doesn’t like me back in the same way, stop daydreaming about marrying him and living with fifty cats, kim woosung._

they fall into a comfortable silence, woosung humming under his breath the melody he’s working on and jaehyeong joining him every now and again. their voices go together _so well,_ and woosung considers running back to his laptop to add the new ideas to the existing song. instead, he takes his phone out, and hits the voice recorder button on. 

it will come in handy to have the little bit of inspiration jaehyeong brings him later. jaehyeong goes off the rail, changing the melody all together and making it his own. it sounds absolutely beautiful, and woosung is taken aback with how angelic jaehyeong’s singing voice is. 

he found his muse in the form of lee jaehyeong, and woosung doesn’t want to imagine what will happen when-- if jaehyeong were to walk out of his life now. he needs him more than he wants to admit, and it’s wholly terrifying to woosung. 

later at night, when they’ve both eaten far more than they can stomach, woosung is back in front of his laptop, seated on the floor. jaehyeong has taken the couch, legs hanging off as he hums to the song that keeps coming from woosung’s speakers. 

“i like this song,” he whispers. “what’s it called?”

“ _when you need somebody._ it’s still rough around the edges, but i quite like what you did with it.” woosung says, not taking his eyes off of the screen. his tongue is sticking out, brows furrowed. 

“what i did? _what_ did i do?”

woosung plays the part he just added. it doesn’t sound quite right, the lack of instruments in his apartment obvious in it, but he did what he could with the already recorded samples he had saved a while ago and for the first time since starting working on the album, woosung feels like it’s actually going somewhere. 

“oh, that? i didn’t think it sounds good, it was just what came to mind in that moment, you know?”

“well, jaehyeong, it’s perfect. so thank you, really.” woosung faces him, headphones’ chord a bit tight around his neck. “not just for the song; thanks for coming here today. i don’t know if i would’ve survived the night without passing out again.”

“you shouldn’t thank me for that, sung,” jaehyeong says. his hand rests on top of woosung’s hair, petting it gently. “it’s what friends do!”

“yeah… friends.” woosung smiles, looking up at the younger. he still can’t tell if jaehyeong knows of his true feelings or not, if he’s oblivious to them or just straight up refuses to acknowledge them. either way, the fond look he gets from him shouldn’t make woosung’s heart flutter, for they are friends. just friends. 

* * *

woosung wakes up in his bed, wrapped tightly in a blanket and clinging to jaehyeong like he’s his personal human teddy bear, his actual plushie kitten lying on the floor somewhere. he goes back to sleep in seconds, something that never happens nowadays. 

and if when they both wake up in the morning, face to face, so close they could count each eyelash individually, they don’t say anything about it.

* * *

he doesn’t cook often, not since forgetting a whole chicken in the oven and turning it into coal, but when woosung _does_ actually use the remaining brain cells he possesses to make a meal that won’t give him food poisoning, he goes _all out._ and he usually goes all out because it’s not just himself he’s cooking for but mostly his friends as well. and while they may know how shitty he is in the kitchen, it sure feels nice to give them a big _fuck you_ when they taste his food.

the nearby market doesn’t quite suit his taste right now, but it will do, considering he’s not willing to drive all around the city trying to find a parking spot near the local farmers’ market. 

as he’s walking around the vegetable aisle, scanning the list of ingredients necessary for veggies with scallops and prosciutto. he found the carrots, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, but he still can’t spot the asparagus. after two rounds between the same vegetables and fruits, what he needs is still nowhere to be seen. 

that is, until he sees it; the last bunch of asparagus, neatly placed on top of the leeks. he rushes to it, faster than any karen could, because there is no way he won’t have asparagus (one of the best vegetables, jae can fight him) in his dish! lo and behold, someone beats him to it. seconds before he gets to the vegetable, a man pops out of nowhere and steals _woosung’s_ asparagus!

“hey! that’s _my_ asparagus, you-- you--” the man looks at woosung, a brow raised in confusion? provocation? mockery? he’s not sure which one it is, but woosung wants to fight him and his whole handsome ass. 

“i’m sorry, but i don’t see your name on it?” the man fakes innocence, analyzing the bunch. “well, i guess it’s mine now!” he has the _audacity_ to smirk as he tosses the vegetables in his basket. 

woosung is ready to _fight_ tooth and nail. “you fucking--”

“yes?”

“give that back!”

“or else what?” he asks, pushing his blond hair off his forehead. even his forehead is perfect, the fuck is this sorcery? “are you going to fight me? you’re a bit of a _teeny weeny lidol baby_ though,” his voice is downright _mocking_ woosung and oh, how he wishes they weren’t in the middle of a supermarket. 

“baby. don’t pick a fight with someone who could kill you with their thighs,” someone says, appearing next to the man and wrapping an arm around his waist. “i’m sorry about hajoonie, he can get to a _dexter’s mom when she sees the last pair of rubber gloves at the store_ level of competitive pettiness in the grocery store. i’m dojoon, by the way!” the man, dojoon, holds his hand out, “and this is my husband hajoon.” he makes hajoon smile at him amicable by elbowing him in the ribs. 

woosung shakes his hand, squeezing it just a bit too hard out of pettiness. “i’m woosung. and it’s whatever, it’s just a vegetable anyway.” he smiles at dojoon, and _god_ it feels good to be the mature one for once. the smile he gets from the man is _dazzlingly beautiful_ and it knocks the air out of his lungs for a second. 

he really was about to fight not one but two annoyingly handsome men! and over some spiky vegetables too! not his proudest moment, if he’s being honest. 

“hey, how much did you want to eat these?” dojoon holds the green stuff in the air, waving them from side to side. when woosung shakes his head, his eyes still fixed on the asparagus, hajoon snorts. “now, now, no need to lie. how about you come for dinner, hm? after all, jaehyeong will be there too!”

who does he think he is-- “what?! jaehyeong? how do you-- how do you know him? and why would you think _i_ know him? are you stalking me? are you here to kill me?”

dojoon laughs, not sounding one bit like their intentions have been uncovered. “no, no! nothing like that!”

“jaehyeong can’t shut up about you,” hajoon says, hooking his chin over dojoon’s shoulder and looking at woosung with a fire the man can’t decipher in his eyes. “and now i can kinda see why…”

woosung is sure dojoon says something along the lines of _‘joonie, not the time’_ before giving the man in front of him one more glorious smile. “so! come to dinner? it’s more of a friends get together, but i think you can fit in quite alright with our… group.” dojoon is expecting him to say yes, that much is obvious by the hopeful look in his eyes. 

“i’m--” now hajoon is pouting at him and _what the fuck_ is he this cute for?! he’s cornered by two ferocious beasts, one cuter than the other and woosung can’t really say no to guys who radiate big puppy energy, nor to guys who look like personifications of the sun when they smile. “sure. just tell me when and where and i’ll be there!”

dojoon holds his phone out, urging woosung to put his number in. “i’ll send you the address! see you tonight, woosung!”

they leave holding hands, walking towards the ice cream aisle while hajoon talks loudly about how he wants a cute teeny weeny baby to cuddle with, to which dojoon, after gasping offendedly, just pulls him into a headlock. 

woosung continues to watch, mesmerized at what had just happened. he thanks the gods for not having to cook for his friends tonight, but tomorrow. that means he can meet jaehyeong again and maybe, just maybe, touch upon the subject of… whatever is happening between them. 

he doubts it, but it’s nice to imagine. 

* * *

it’s way past the time dojoon told him to get to their apartment when he actually gets there, but it’s not his fault. he spent more than half an hour staring at wine bottles trying to decide which one would be better for the situation, since he came to know that part of being an adult is bringing a wine bottle to each and every dinner you get invited to. 

so, almost an hour past seven, he knocks on the door (praying it’s the good one and that he’s not knocking on some old person’s door asking to come inside with wine). he waits a bit, but then, the door slowly opens to reveal hajoon, his cheeks flushed pink. “finally, you baby! we’ve been waiting for you! come, come inside! oh, wine! hah, that’s not gonna mix well with the alcohol we have but--”

as if having hajoon-is-about-to-do-something-stupid senses, dojoon pops out of nowhere again. his cheeks are pink too, but he doesn’t look as tipsy as his husband. “i’m so glad you could make it! jaehyeong and the rest are here!” 

woosung doesn’t know what to think of the entourage when he steps inside the lively living room. jaehyeong and jooyoung are there, laughing loudly at three other people playing mario kart. they’re all drinking out of red cups, and woosung can smell the alcohol poisoning in the air from the entrance. it smells like regret and college, but no one seems to mind it. they’re having fun, and woosung feels like he’s intruding. 

“oh! pretty boy!” jooyoung exclaims when she notices him. she’s wearing a low-cut blouse, the hickeys on her neck and collarbones on full display. 

woosung rolls his eyes. lesbians have no shame whatsoever and he’s proud that ashley finally found someone who isn’t ashamed of being with her… or hooking up with her? he’s not sure if they’re together yet or not. 

when he finally looks away from jooyoung and finds jaehyeong, his eyes are already on him. his lips are parted slightly, little huffs of breath coming out as he watches over him with glazed eyes. he pats the spot next to him, and that’s all woosung needs before he’s rushing over (as coolly as possible, since he doesn’t want to seem desperate to be next to the younger again) and sitting down, giving jaehyeong a small, awkward hug. it’s better than nothing. 

“i didn’t think you’d make it, but i’m glad to see you here…” 

woosung gets passed a cup of whatever alcohol they mixed up by the other girl in the group. she’s tiny, and woosung would be lying if he said she’s not attractive. the girl sits next to jaehyeong. “i’m jaime! you must be woosung! we’ve heard so much about you!” she doesn’t sound nor look drunk, but woosung knows better than to judge the amount of alcohol one has in their system. 

“yeah! that’s all jae’s been talking about!” another one says. “fuck yeah, i win! suck it, wonshin!” he sticks his tongue out at the man who just lost. “i’m wonpil, by the way. and you’re really pretty,” he adds with a wink. 

jaehyeong puts his arm around woosung’s shoulders, pulling him close. “fuck off, pil. focus on your dumb game, will you?”

“yikes, feisty,” wonshin mumbles under his breath, barely dodging the pillow jaehyeong throws at him. 

“now, now, children, stop with the petty fights and teasing or else you won’t be getting any food.” dojoon and hajoon come out of the kitchen, holding pans and bowls full of food. at a closer inspection, woosung notices it’s just nachos, peanuts and one single plate of actual food. hajoon gives the plate to woosung.

“since you were late, we saved you some. the rest already ate, so if you want more alcohol you have to eat too.” he sounds a lot more coherent now, but his face is still red, and along with the blush, woosung notices that his lips are bitten and swollen. 

“thanks.” woosung takes the plate. it’s full of asparagus and pasta, and he’s tempted to eat the vegetables and give the pasta back, but he’s not a chaotic evil. he eats the food in silence, observing the group’s dynamic.

jooyoung keeps teasing hajoon and dojoon, bringing up the toy she found behind the couch when she got here earlier. wonshin is cracking jokes about jooyoung and _her_ toys, while wonpil hypes him and steals most of the cheese and guac covered nachos. jaehyeong is watching them all with a smile, laughing every now and again; his fingers curl and uncurl around his cup, as if he’s itching to hold something else. jaime pushes herself off the couch, rolling her eyes and taking the paper cup from the man. she communicates something to him with her eyes, glaring when jaehyeong looks like he’s fighting back. 

the food tastes nice, but the alcohol has already taken a toll on his body. after all, he didn’t eat anything since lunch time. leaning on the body next to him, woosung doesn’t realize just how _hot_ jaehyeong is. he’s like a human furnace and woosung wants to take the sweater he’s wearing off. 

“the cats miss you…” jaehyeong speaks so softly that woosung would’ve missed it on any other occasion. 

“and you? do you miss me too, jae?” he doesn’t know what possessed him to ask that, but the blush he gets from the younger is a far too great reward to be mad at himself. 

jaehyeong gives him a small smile, but he doesn’t say anything. his hand does find woosung’s, interlocking their fingers together. woosung smiles at their hands, and sips the alcohol, letting it get to his head. 

* * *

“so, lemme get this straight, bro… instead of going over to his place and i don’t know, maybe ending this whole pining slow burn relationship the two of you have, you decided to _still_ have us over for our weekly get together?!” jae recites the whole story again, not believing his ears. he knows woosung is helpless, but this is a new level of dumbassery!

woosung reaches for the dip he made for the chips. “no comment.”

“bro, this is just so sad. why would you _not_ go over with a movie and some love to give? fuck it, you could’a gone there and spend time with the cats!”

“and then naturally proceed to cuddling with both the cats and jaehyeong!” ashley cuts matthew off, but the man isn’t bothered. he nods, pointing to her as if she spoke the greatest thing known to humankind. 

“like, no offence, woo, but you really don’t know how to approach someone you like and it shows in your lack of love _and sex_ life.” matthew’s eyes widen as he now points to younghyun, nodding again. woosung takes a deep breath and puts the fork down, since he knows he will end up stabbing his friends one by one, starting with younghyun himself. 

“man, you three suck ass! only sungwoo’s my friend now!” he says, draping his arm around the man’s frame. 

“actually i was just gonna say it doesn’t make any sense. you started taking allergy pills to get closer to jaehyeong and now that you have reached that closeness, and you _know_ you’re in love with him--”

“am not!”

“you just do _nothing!_ like, _why?_ it’s not like he’d stop being your friend _if_ he didn’t like you back, which is stupid since i only met the guy like twice but whenever we brought you up he looked like we mentioned _god_ or something! dude, you’re in love-- you like him, right?” woosung nods, not looking at any of his friends. “so just shoot your shot! do it casually, bring it up during something familiar, something that makes both of you feel comfortable, ok? trust me, it will work.” sungwoo gives him a smile, to which woosung responds with a pout. 

“i hate it when you’re right.”

“love ya too, bro!”

sighing, woosung stands up. 

“where are you going?” matthew asks, lifting his eyes from where he was petting ashley’s hair. 

“to jaehyeong’s?” he answers, but it sounds more like a question.

“at…” younghyun checks the time on his phone. “midnight?”

“is that… is that not a reasonable time?”

his friends look at him as if he decided to shoot the president in the head in an attempt to clean his name. “no!” 

woosung deflates immediately, sagging down next to sungwoo again. “then what do i do, geniuses?”

“go over in the morning if you really want to. and say you missed the cats. bro, you have a brain but you’re using it less and less everyday!” woosung glares at jae, to which the man only shrugs. “am i wrong, though?”

“i hope you know i hate all of you. so. fucking. much.” woosung accentuates the last part, making sure that each of his friend gets to feel a bit of his wrath when he glares at them.

woosung really doesn’t, but it’s moments like this that make him wish he had friends who lied to him and told him he was smart, instead of calling out his idiocy. at least then he wouldn’t have to hear how much of a dumb midget he is. 

* * *

whatever argument he gave his friends last night about him _not_ being stupid, dense or _obtuse_ when it comes to love is thrown out the window when he looks inside _the great catsby_ at five in the morning. he hasn’t slept a second, and it’s probably visible in the dark circles under his eyes, and how slumped his shoulders are. 

he couldn’t fall asleep, no matter how much he tried, and as the clock struck four, he realized there is no way he’s going to successfully fall asleep. the only rational idea he could think of on four hours of sleep he got the night before was to show up at jaehyeong’s door-- well, the cafe’s door, and wait until the man came in the front with the freshly baked pastries for the day. 

his grip around the red bull can in his hand tightens, trying to ignore the wind blowing around him. he has to pull his hat down so that its speed and power doesn’t hurt his ears. what the fuck is up with these winds and them being powerful enough to put woosung down? if he could, he’d fight them. 

the light just above the entrance is on, and with the little bit of light coming from it, he can see which cats are strolling around, waiting for food, and which are still peacefully sleeping on their little beds. he’s not surprised to see prince waiting for food, after all, the little guy has always been a bit too spoiled. what does surprise him is that gumi seems to have noticed him. 

the cat jumps from his bed and walks to the door, where he sits and stares at him. woosung waves, before squatting down in front of the glass. he knocks on it with one finger, waiting for gumi to come closer. he _really_ missed the cat, and he’d do anything to cuddle with him right this instance. 

he hopes jaehyeong will come downstairs soon, or at least that he will emerge from the kitchen in the next ten minutes because lord, it’s freezing outside. 

gumi bumps his head in the glass, meowing confused when he can’t get woosung to pet him. his paw hits the door, gently at first, before aggressively sitting on his two back legs and scratching at it while trying to make as much noise as possible. woosung has to hold back a snort. 

he’s so caught up in entertaining gumi that he doesn’t notice the figure looming over him, casting a shadow on woosung. when he looks up, he sees jaehyeong, with bed hair still sticking up in every direction and flour on his cheek and cocoa powder on his bottom lip and he can’t help but imagine what it would be like to wake up next to him, to wrap his arms around jaehyeong’s waist as he bakes, the cats purring at their feet. 

shaking his head, woosung tries to look as normal and _not creepy_ as possible. he stands up, waiting for the man of his dreams to open the door of his cafe and let him in. jaehyeong does just that, because though woosung may not be aware of it, there is no way the younger could say no to him. 

as soon as the door is open, gumi jumps on him. he’s pretty sure his claws rip through his jeans, but right now he doesn’t care. woosung catches the cat easily, letting gumi stay limp in his arms. 

“what brings you here?” jaehyeong asks, frowning accusedly at the energy drink that’s still in woosung’s hand. “did you even sleep?”

“you said your cats miss me…” the younger’s face doesn’t soften at the statement. he’s waiting for the answer to what he had asked. woosung looks down, feeling the burning heat of jaehyeong’s stare. “no, but it doesn’t matter. i’m not tired and i already feel amazing just from being here.”

“well, sucks to suck, but you’re gonna sleep at least a few hours in my bed, hyung, or else i’ll hit you with a cast iron pan full of cookie dough and i don’t think you want that.” he sounds dead serious and woosung hates himself for finding hot.

“but i wanted to pet the kitties!” woosung tries to argue, he really does, but the younger’s set on having him sleep and he doesn’t seem to be easy to budge. “at least can i cuddle with one as i nap?” he pouts up at the man, and he hopes that gumi is too, because everyone knows two pouting babies are better than one. 

jaehyeong reaches to ruffle his hair. he’s looking at woosung with so much fondness, something he hadn’t seen since jae and younghyun started dating, all those years ago, and it catches him off guard. no one has ever looked at him like that, like he means something more to them than a normal friend would, like they would be sad if something were to happen to him, if woosung were to disappear from their life. 

“let’s get you two in bed then, dummy.” jaehyeong takes hold of his hand, making sure that he doesn’t startle the kitty. woosung doesn’t want to say that his skin burns, as jaehyeong pulls him through the cafe and up the stairs hidden down the hallway, but he can feel them getting clammier, and with them becoming more sweaty, woosung gets more embarrassed. 

jeahyeong’s apartment is just as he remembers it, if a bit less cluttered this time. there are still hoodies thrown on the floor, but now, on top of them all sleeps a small cat, one woosung has never seen before. its white fur is a stark contrast of the black hoodies and sweaters it used for its nest, and woosung pities the younger’s clothes. 

“who’s the little one?”

jaehyeong’s face breaks into a gentle smile. “her name is tony fluffball hawk. dojoon named her, since he found her near his workplace. poor thing was covered in mud and starving so he brought her here for me to take care of and integrate with the others.” the man kneels down, lightly petting the sleeping kitten’s head with one finger. “she’s not gonna cause you any trouble, but if you want i can bring her downstairs.”

“no!” woosung says a bit too quickly, a bit too loudly. “i mean, she can stay!” he lowers his voice, careful of the kitten. “i don’t mind her. i’d never mind cats, really! so just, chop, chop, off you go,” woosung says, hurriedly. he pushes jaehyeong in the direction of the door. he doesn’t know why he wants jaehyeong gone, but one thing is for sure: he won’t be able to get any sleep if the man stays with him; he’d be overthinking too much. 

“ok, mister, i get it! you want the cats to yourself!” jaehyeong laughs as he picks something up off the back of the couch. he throws the sweater at woosung, laughing even louder when it hits him in the face, landing on the floor with a pathetic thud. “put that on, will you? it’s kinda cold in here and you have awful blood circulation, so you need more than a blanket to keep you warm.” 

woosung bites back the _i only need you,_ cringing at how cringey it sounds even in his head. 

“thanks. you can go back to work now, i won’t sleep much anyway.”

“you’ll sleep for six weeks if you have to, dude! you look like you haven’t closed your eyes in years and while sure, the vampire look makes you look even hotter, i don’t want you to be tired, ok?”

woosung falls on the bed, face down. it’s quite a common occurance nowadays, to spend his mornings or evenings taking naps in jaehyeong’s bed. ever since the man came to babysit him, they’ve been spending more time just sleeping together… in the totally no homo, platonic, bro way. woosung still can’t even comprehend the idea of jaehyeong liking him back, despite everything his friends have told him. 

he takes a deep breath, relishing the smell of baked bread, lemon and cat fur. the last one still makes his nose itch, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was in the beginning. woosung tugs the sweater over his frame, kicking his pants off and throwing them on the floor. he slips under the heavy blanket and finally lets himself relax. he’s still not tired, not in the way that would make him fall asleep anyway, but it’s nice to just feel the weight of a worn out blanket over his body.

gumi jumps on the bed next to him, settling next to his face, right on the pillow. he’ll wake up feeling awful from having the cat sleep so close, but he can’t bring himself to care. it’s comforting, nice, something he doesn’t allow himself to have. 

jaehyeong cares for him, he can see it in the little things the younger does, in the small touches when woosung is trying hard to focus but just can’t find the right mind setting, when he’s shut himself from the outside world for too long and he has to barge inside his home and unplug every device just to save the small amount of brain cells left for woosung. 

the thought still scares him, but somehow woosung, in his own selfish way, doesn’t want it to stop. 

he makes up his mind as he falls asleep, tony climbing on top of his chest as well: he’s going to confess and save himself from heartbreak. there’s no way jaehyeong would hate him anyway. at least, that’s the comforting thought that blooms in his head as he slips into a dreamless sleep. 

when he wakes up and goes back to the cafe, woosung decides to invite jaehyeong over the next day (or whenever he has time! there is no rush!) to watch a movie, since he is a living cliche apparently and he’s planning to confess with a movie playing in the background, the light from the tv illuminating jaehyeong’s face. he won’t do the yawn move though, because while he is uninspired when it comes to his confession, he’s not _that_ predictable. 

jaehyeong accepts as he passes woosung a cup of tea, smelling of every fruit known to humankind and probably tasting even sweeter. he also lets his fingers brush over woosung’s wrist, smiling down at him while woosung slowly turns red. 

now, as he cleans his apartment one day later and waits for jaehyeong to come, woosung realizes that this may not have been the best idea. woosung is overthinking it, and it’s not something ideal, considering he’s close to canceling the plans just to not go through with the plan of cofessing. sue him for growing a pair of balls only to have them shrunk immediately after. 

he didn’t even choose the movie, _how_ on god’s green earth is he going to do this when there is no movie to distract jaehyeong?!

a soft knock on his door pulls him back of his thoughts roughly, his head snapping to the entrance. he curses loudly, almost hitting his leg in the side of the couch in his rush to hide the dirty laundry in his pantry. if things go well, that will be the only part of his house jaehyeong won’t step in, providing they will be… sleeping in his bedroom.

jaehyeong looks even more ethereal than ever, if only a little bit tired; he almost shuts the door out of sheer panic. suddenly, jaehyeong’s arms are around him, woosung’s face buried in the younger’s chest, arms limp by his side. awkwardly, he puts them around jaehyeong’s middle, a small smile creeping on his face when jaehyeong relaxes in his hold. 

“i didn’t choose the movie yet, but i’m thinking we can just put something on and--”

“cuddle? yes, _please,_ i really need some quality cuddle time with my favorite person,” jaehyeong says, voice whiny and high pitched. woosung has come to know that this is what jaehyeong acts like when he’s either tired or he’s had an awful day. 

the elder drags him to the couch, where he had already thrown all his pillows and blankets. jaehyeong walks mechanically to where woosung takes him, barely missing the edge of the coffee table. he falls on the mess of fluff and whatnot with a groan, pulling one of the pillows from under him into his arms. 

woosung’s heart breaks. he rarely ever saw jaehyeong like this, but even the very few times are enough for him. 

“scoot over a bit, i’m gonna be the big spoon tonight.” 

“you know i don’t mind spooning you, right, sungie?”

“i know, but,” woosung pushes jaehyeong around, “i wanna be the big spoon, so shush, you baby.” the position is uncomfortable and he can’t see the tv properly, but he doesn’t mind it one bit. “choose whatever you want to watch.”

“anything?” jaehyeong asks, turning around to look at woosung with big, innocent eyes. woosung nods. “we’re gonna watch _pet sematary_ then!” he already looks better, more full of life, and woosung doesn't have the heart to tell him he _loathes_ horror movies. if jaehyeong wants to watch it, then he will just shut up and take it. he can hide behind the younger anyway, without seeming like a coward. 

his plans may have gone south, but he’s not mad about it. he’s quite… happy. there’s no rush in confessing; they already cuddle and sleep together, acting more like a couple than ashley and jooyoung. they’re just… moving at their own, slow and oblivious pace. and while woosung would like it to be able to kiss jaehyeong and call him disgustingly sweet and dumb pet names, he thinks it may be for the better if he waits for an indication, anything really, from jaehyeong to let him know the younger is also interested. 

“the movie started, hyung, are you paying attention?” jaehyeong questions, this time not turning from the tv.

woosung hums, arms tightening around the younger. he could fall asleep like this, maybe. 

jaehyeong’s fingers play with his, tugging and lifting them mindlessly. it’s weird to have someone focus on his fingers like this, even without them actually paying attention to what they are doing. it’s only after having done it for a while that jaehyeong finally notices the stress ring on woosung’s thumb. he rolls it between his fingers, giggling when he realizes he can spin it, and _huh,_ woosung may have just fallen in love again. 

he tenses. did he just think _again?_ he knew he _liked_ jaehyeong but there was no way he was _in love_ with him… right?

jaehyeong giggles again, this time about something that’s going on in the movie. he mumbles something about how cute the cats are before inaudibly whining about missing his own kitties. 

_fuck,_ woosung may just be in love with jaehyeong. 

the realization isn’t as impressive as they make it seem in movies and books. time doesn’t still, there are no actual flashbacks of him falling in love, no sad or hopeful or happy music playing in the background. just him, still spooning jaehyeong, and his own thoughts. on a whim, he presses his lips to the back of jaehyeong’s neck, suppressing a shiver as jaehyeong tenses. 

woosung pretends to be yawning, hiding his face even more in jaehyeong’s neck. the younger’s body doesn’t relax. he fucked up, he fucked up, _he fucked up._

leave it to him in a euphoric state of realizing his feelings to ruin his already ruined plan. 

slowly, as if scared of what’s to follow, jaehyeong turns in his arms to face him. “hyung… can i kiss you?”

the air gets knocked out of his lungs. woosung closes his eyes, lips parting and he nods, because what else is there to do when the person he is _in love with_ asks him for permission to kiss him. jaehyeong presses their lips together gently, for no more than a few seconds. a trial kiss? a test? a way to see if woosung really wants this? woosung isn’t sure, his head too dizzy. 

he only feels the _urge_ to kiss back, to pull him as close as possible, to never let jaehyeong go. so woosung does just that. he throws a leg over jaehyeong’s hip, pulling him flush against him. one of his hands clenches around the younger’s sweater, the other resting on his cheek. woosung deepens the kiss, drawing a moan out from the man in his arms.

there is no need for spoken i love you’s or for anything other than their breaths merging together, their bodies so close they could become one. getting confident with each whine jaehyeong lets out, woosung straddles his hips, knees on each of jaehyeong’s sides, digging in the couch. 

jaehyeong chokes on his spit, lips red and glossy already. grabbing onto the younger’s sweater, he lifts him until their lips are barely touching. 

“tell me what you want, baby,” woosung whispers, dragging his fingers through jaehyeong’s locks and pulling on them gently. jaehyeong kisses him instead of giving him an answer, but this isn’t what woosung wants. he wants a proper answer, something that can help him in deciding _what_ they will be doing tonight. “tell me, baby."

“i want…” jaehyeong whines as woosung begins to press kisses all over his face, going down his neck, teeth scraping the skin lightly. “i want… can i eat you out, hyung?”

woosung’s hand caresses his cheek, making the younger look up at him. “do you want this?” jaehyeong nods, opening his mouth to let woosung slip a finger inside his mouth. “then how can i deny you, angel?”

smiling around the finger in his mouth, jaehyeong’s eyes close slightly. “let’s move to the bedroom, ok, baby? i don’t want you falling from the couch,” he says, taking his finger out and standing up.

the jab at his height pulls jaehyeong out of the headspace he’s been slipping in. “i’m not that big, sung. you’re just too small.” 

woosung smiles. “of course you’re not that big. you are a small, little kitten, hm?” even with the frown he gets, jaehyeong can’t hide the way his cheeks redden. _bingo._ “now come, kitty. you have a job to do, don’t you?”

the younger follows him.

* * *

after the night of realization and new beginnings, they begin dating. it comes naturally, the hand holding, the stolen kisses and back hugs while jaehyeong is working behind the counter, woosung sneaking up on him first thing when he wakes up. 

their friends don’t seem surprised either when they catch them playing footsie under the table like some teenagers, or when they find them almost naked in their bathroom, making out (dojoon threatened jaehyeong to reveal his pet play kink if it were to happen again, to which woosung only laughed and patted his boyfriend’s head).

it’s not perfect, even as the honeymoon phase settles in deeper. they have their ups and downs, they try to get better, try to work their own flaws out with the help of one another.

it’s a journey they’re more than happy to take, and with baby steps when needed, they keep going. 

* * *

woosung’s been stuck on the same beat all day, nothing coming out of the four notes that came to him this morning. the melody can’t come together no matter how many hours he stares at his computer, his studio swallowed by darkness and the door closed shut. he told jaehyeong he’ll be back late, so he should go to sleep whenever he wants, but even so he got no reply from his boyfriend. 

and even if he did, his eyes are too dry to move from his computer screen anywhere else around the room. which is why he doesn’t turn when he hears the door open during the one moment of silence coming from his headphones. 

burglar or not, he wants to finish this. 

he feels a pair of lips on his neck before he feels the weight on his shoulder as a body drapes over him. the headphones are tore off his head and thrown back on the table. “come home already, sung,” jaehyeong says, still pressing kisses on the elder’s neck. 

“can’t. still gotta finish, baby.” jaehyeong pouts, whining softly, before reaching over to save his work. “what are you--” woosung gets silenced by a kiss. 

“we’ve been together for two years now, you idiot, you know what i’m doing. so shut it or else you’re sleeping on the couch.” he tries to sound threatening, but woosung just chuckles at it.

“i’d still sneak in our bed so fuck you.”

“pray you’ll fuck me if you keep that up, sir.”

now it’s woosung’s turn to whine, clinging to the younger. jaehyeong picks him up easily, something he’s learned woosung is quite fond of. he ignores the little huffs he lets out, mumbling about not being a baby, and instead just kisses him softly. 

“you’re right, you’re not just any baby…” jaehyeong pauses for dramatic effect. “you’re my baby!” and it may be the fact that he’s just as in love with jaehyeong as in the beginning, because despite having heard this exact same line three times a day, he still laughs shyly and punches jaehyeong’s chest. 

“now come on, you big bad wolfie, let’s get you home, ok?”

woosung yawns and hides his face in jaehyeong’s neck, inhaling the familiar scent deeply. “okay…”

he doesn’t even realize when he falls asleep.

* * *

woosung is checking on the cats, precisely on apricat and cheese, who have been fighting over who gets to clean the latter’s baby, guac, when jaehyeong walks inside their apartment, hair ruffled by the wind and coat significantly bulkier than when he left a few years ago. 

he tries to pass by woosung without the elder noticing him, but it doesn’t happen. 

“lee jaehyeong… are you hiding kittens under your coat?” woosung asks, voice serious.

jaehyeong’s steps halt, back straight as if trying to blend in with the wall. “no?” he phrases it more like a question, to which woosung snorts. his coat _meows._ he’s not even surprised anymore. 

“how many?”

“one?”

another _three_ meows are heard, as if in protest to jaehyeong hiding them. 

woosung sighs and goes to the medicine cabinet, taking another two allergy pills. it’s going to be a long night of washing cats and making sure they are safe. after all, at the impressive number of fifteen cats, he knows how to take care of them; especially of one giant cat named lee jaehyeong. 

* * *

aj is helping him set the table while jaehyeong his mother and his father are finishing the food in the small kitchen. gumi is walking in between their legs, meowing for food and attention. it’s their monthly family dinner, though this times instead of their friends occupying their apartment and talking shit about how it’s too tiny for them all to fit in, it’s woosung’s parents. 

his brother pokes him with a fork, making him realize he’s been staring at jaehyeong cooking again. it’s not his fault that the younger looks adorable while frowning at the brownies baking in the oven. it’s even more adorable when jaehyeong smiles at his mother, laughing at something she said. 

“sammy!” aj claps him on the shoulder, making him look up (he has no idea when his little brother grew so much; he’s way too tall for his age, and woosung is clearly _not_ petty about it) at the young boy. “i asked you something.”

“sorry, what was it?” 

rolling his eyes, the boy passes him a plate. “i asked if you will marry jae-hyung.”

woosung smiles, and thinks back to the stormy night when he met jaehyeong. he thinks of the way the cat fur still makes him sneeze, despite all the pills he’s taking, and how most often than not they get interrupted from their private time by loud crashing noises downstairs. woosung thinks of all the friends he made along, of how they became a constant presence in his life, along with jaehyeong and the fifteen cats they own. 

“yeah, i think so…” 

**Author's Note:**

> i love these dumbasses so much i'm gonna go cry now byeeeeeeeeee  
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